August 28, 2012

August 24: Things to Do in Milwaukee

Chris' sisters arrived from Colorado this past Thursday and we hit Milwaukee hard over the weekend, trying some new places and visiting old favorites.

On Friday morning, we picked up two canoes at the Urban Ecology Center and made our way down to the Wisconsin Avenue bridge before turning around. Canoeing was fun, but it was a hassle to haul the canoes around, so I would rent from Laacke and Joys next time.

The vantage point from the river is unique. For example, you wouldn't see this waterslide painting from Milwaukee Riverkeeper while cruising the Riverwalk.

Milwaukee is, of course, famous for beer and cheese, so we took Chris' sisters to Rock Bottom Brewery for a beer flight and cheese curds. The three beer drinkers in the group were wishing the flight was labeled so they could remember their favorites.

Cheese curds weren't quite enough, so we headed to Ian's Pizza for macaroni & cheese pizza. I tried a salad there for the first time and loved it! Chris and I split their spring salad which comes with mixed greens, red onions, candied pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese and maple balsamic vinaigrette.

Next, we headed back to the water. Riverwalk Boat Tours offers a great deal - for $21 you can cruise the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan on Friday nights, while sipping sangria, beer or rum punch. Oh, and appetizers are included too.

A sightseeing cruise is typically $15, so I assumed the alcohol included in the ticket price would be terrible, but we tried all three types and actually liked them all.

Even better, the early cruise time (5:30-7:00) attracted people mostly in their 30s and 40s. The bartender told us the later cruise times attract a younger crowd that gets plastered from the open bar.

I've been on four boat cruises now, and they all travel the same route, yet I enjoy them each time. Sunset is an especially nice time to be cruising on the water.

After the boat returned to Pere Marquette Park, we headed across the street to the Old German Beer Hall to play Hammerschlagen (aka "the nail game"). I really like the atmosphere of the Old German Beer Hall, but unfortunately they had a rehearsal dinner there on Friday night, so it wasn't nearly as fun as usual. It also appeared the 80-something grandparents of the bride and groom were wishing a different place had been chosen :)

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